USJ opened the game on a 13-3 run, trailing only when Lee put the Gators up 2-0 in the opening minute. Following Pine Manor’s early basket, the Blue Jays held the lead for the remainder of the first half and the game. However, the Gators continued to hang around in the early going, eventually cutting the early USJ lead down to just four points with 3:01 remaining in the first, at 31-27.

Hyde and Lynch would each score on back-to-back possessions, before a pair of USJ three-pointers on either side of two free-throws from Lee would send the visitors into the break with a 39-31 advantage.

In the second half, USJ quickly worked to separate itself from the Gators, increasing their lead to 15 points at 13:37 when Devon Diliberto (Waterbury, CT) knocked down a three-pointer to make the score 60-45 in favor of the Blue Jays. The USJ lead would swell to as many as 20 points in the second half as the Blue Jays continued to shoot over 45% from the field.

Badohu scored 9 of her 14 points after the break, while Lee knocked down 2-3 three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to rally the Gators past the hot shooting of the Blue Jays as Pine Manor eventually fell by a final score of 81-65.

Pine Manor will return to action on Tuesday night when they take on Albertus Magnus College at 7:00 PM in New Haven, CT. Saint Joseph will return home to host Anna Maria College, also on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.